1885-CC $20 MS(PCGS#9004)

December 2025 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part I

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

20041

Grade

AU53

Price

22,200

Lot Description

A particularly significant example of this fabled low mintage CC-Mint double eagle with a numismatic provenance back to the extensive holdings of "Col." E.H.R. Green. Its earliest auction appearance was in our (Stack's) December 1944 sale of the "J.F. Bell" Collection, which was actually the collection of another celebrated numismatist - Jacob Shapiro. Three years later it reappeared in our (Stack's) "H.R. Lee" Collection sale, the primary offerings in which were duplicates from the world-renowned cabinet of Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. The buyer from the Lee Collection sale was James A. Stack, Sr., in whose remarkable collection it has resided for the last 78 years.<p>This is a handsome coin, both sides displaying rich honey-orange color with hints of light rose patina evident under strong lighting. Ample luster remains, with satiny blooms emanating from the protected areas around and within the design elements. These are generally well defined, a few of the obverse stars softly struck, but most other devices sharp in the presence of minimal wear. Wispy handling marks are small in size and inconspicuous, leaving it to a tiny carbon spot below Liberty's eye to serve as a useful identifier should this coin ever be separated from its illustrious provenance.<p>Only 9,450 double eagles were coined at the Carson City Mint in 1885, by far the smallest production of any $20 from this facility during the 1880s. This is the final Carson City Mint double eagle coinage until 1889-CC; the fabled frontier mint struck no coins of any denomination from 1886 to 1888. Q. David Bowers' 2004 estimate of 275 to 400 circulated examples seems to have stood the test of time and, indeed, this issue is elusive even at the VF and EF levels. In grades that approach Mint State, as here, the 1885-CC is rare and always in demand among collectors of double eagles and Carson City Mint coinage.